A survey found that people in business units dominated by what the authors term coerced allegiance were statistically more likely to agree that “agreeing with powerful others is the best alternative” and that it is “safer to agree with managers than to say what you really think.” Confidence in speaking up was reported as lowest across the social exchange types identified, including in units marked by sycophantic allegiance, where people default to telling those with power what they think they want to hear. Adaptive performance, measured as the ability to deal with unpredictable situations and adjust to change, was also lowest under coerced allegiance.
The findings were published by MIT Sloan Management Review on 1 September 2026, in an article by Ron Carucci and Jim Detert titled “Dethroning Loyalty,” drawing on a survey the authors conducted across workplace units.
Source: MIT Sloan Management Review, 2026-09-01.